The heart

[DeeDee249]

The heart drawn on her palm may have no real significance at all. It may or may not have something to do with the crime at all. Kids draw on themselves- it's a kid thing to do.
I wil say that I had seen long ago that Patsy used to draw a heart in JB's palm, saying "my heart is in your hands" or something to that effect.
What I do find very telling is Patsy's comments in that first interview where she says she remembered seeing the heart that morning. She was right- she saw it on JB's body as she helped cover up the death of her daughter. Later she tried to backpedal, claiming she might have just HEARD about it. This is just BS, frankly. You just don't get "confused" about something like that. If you see a heart drawn on the dead body of your child, you KNOW you saw that heart! You don't think you "might" have just heard about it.

 

[Meara]

It's BS for sure. In her first response, PR said "it was a pretty good little heart, too." Once she said that, she couldn't reasonably pretend later that she hadn't seen it.

 

[Meara]

Right, this is precisely what I was getting at, but I have never seen where it was written that JB seemed different. I was just going on gutt feeling when I looked at her photos. Do you have links to that? Was it in a book? A change in personality is a HUGE sign of sexual abuse. Especially if that change is about secluding herself, "dullness" in the personality, and general unhappiness.
I also wonder what medications Patsy was on. I am almost positive that after her chemo she was on medications. My dad and cousins were after their chemo sessions were over.

I don't have the link handy tonight, but I know it was Judith Phillips (now Judith Miller) who made the observation. I give weight to her report because she had known JonBenet for several years and was her photographer. HTH.

 

[DeDee]

The tiny blisters on the same hand as the drawing are not mentioned in the AR which causes much speculation about them as well.

The highlighted image of the palm of her left hand, imho, signifies something perhaps more than ordinary child's play.

 

[Scandigirl]

We don't know who was responsible for the "drawing" on JB's hand, or if it's relevant to the murder, but it does look like it's meant possibly as a symbol of some kind? Possibly meant to be a "V" ( for Victory)? I can't tell if it's definately drawn on ink, or could it possibly have been carved into her skin, or meant in some way as a bit like branding?

If I tilt the picture a bit, I can also possibly see it as a loose V shape, with two identical type of marks on both the above left and right of the "V"? The marks, to my eyes, look like two little vertical lines/marks, with almost flower-shaped marks on the top, with 3 points to the "flower"? These almost remind me of the shape of devil's horns?!

To me, this doesn't look like an innocent child's drawing- it looks a bit sinister! Could it possibly be tied in with the choice of the use of the garrotte, in some way? Not sure how, but just in terms of any meaning overall?

Can anyone else see anything I've seen? Sorry if the description's a bit unclear!

 

[Scandigirl]

Sorry to post again! Just looking more closely, and the "flower" shapes I said reminded me of devil's horns could actually two tiny little crosses on the left and right top sides of the "heart"/"V"/"C"?

Not sure if anyone can see them- they really are tiny! Wish I was clever enough to draw around the shapes I'm seeing on the computer- they're very faint!

 

[otg]

I feel compelled to offer a caution about speculating too much about a photo you don't know the origin of. The last photo posted above is not an official autopsy photo, it's someone's color enhancement of that photo. If you compare the two photos side-by-side in this post, you can decide for yourself how accurate you feel it is.

There is also some additional discussion about the heart that some may care to read in [ame="http://www.forumsforjustice.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10200"]this thread[/ame].

 

[Mama2JML]

I am a scrapbooker, so naturally I do a lot of photo editing.... lightening, darkening, B&W etc... I have saved the photo of Jonbenet's hand and done a lot of altering to the color and size.... just the color and size with different programs. It doesn't look anything like a heart to me, no matter how hard I try to look at it like it is. And certainly not a heart drawn by a child..
I have a six year old, so I always have six year old little girls from the neighborhood parading through my house. I do a lot of crafts with them, and I have never seen any of them draw a "floppy" heart (which is how I draw them... big ol fat short ones). Even if all of the characteristics for a heart were in the one on her hand, it would still be dramatically different then any of the drawings I have seen done by a six year old. Even when my older daughter (who is now 12) used to do "six year old crafts" with her friends, the characteristics of a heart were always the same. They were long, skinny, and had a very sharp point on the bottom. The "crevice" at the top was very deep. They try to be very precise at that age. When my daughter draws on her hand, it's the same thing... she tries to be precise.
But even without knowing that, it still doesn't look like a heart. a G, maybe, but more like a C- (because I dont see the line going from the bottom of the C up to the - to make a G) that was gone over with a red pen a couple of times and maybe after it sat for a bit someone made a half attempt to remove it with saliva and the other hand.... yet it doesn't look old to me. It's far too dark in some areas to have naturally faded.
Maybe it means something, maybe not. But it certainly doesn't look like a heart. What do you think?

I realize the OP was posted in 2007, but I agree with the opinions BBM above.

Dr. Meyer noted HIS observations per HIS interpretation. Would another ME have referred to the image as a "heart"? Maybe, maybe not...

IMO, Dr. Meyer qualified the image as heart because it is a shape with which the "red ink line drawing" shares similarities. SOOO, I don't necessarily believe the image was intended to depict a heart, nor do I believe Dr. Meyer intended to define the image. Meyer simply described what he saw as best he could, @ the moment, & "on the fly".

Is the "red ink line drawing" a heart & is it connected to the crime? IDK... :dunno:

 

[Nom de plume]

Sorry to post again! Just looking more closely, and the "flower" shapes I said reminded me of devil's horns could actually two tiny little crosses on the left and right top sides of the "heart"/"V"/"C"?

Not sure if anyone can see them- they really are tiny! Wish I was clever enough to draw around the shapes I'm seeing on the computer- they're very faint!

The photo in post #44 is not the actual photo. It has been altered. The photo in post #39 is the actual AR photo. As you can see, there are "additions" to the photo in #44 that are not visible in #39.

ETA: Sorry OTG! I didn't see your post before posting mine. LOL

 

[Venom]

The "lines" on the altered photo aren't pen marks, they are the lines of her hand. IMO
It look's to me that the "heart" on her hand was already starting to wear off.

 

[Scandigirl]

Thanks otg and Nom de Plume for making the very good point that the two photos aren't the same,and the second one is not a true reflection. I was actually looking at the first one, where I can just make out two marks on either side, which look like flower shapes or crosses. But, they are very faint.

I've no idea what they mean, or whether the "heart" is really a heart, or something else like "C" or a "V", or a smiley... I've also no idea if it's related to JB's death or not, so I'll leave others to try to determine that, if it's possible. All I can see is that my first impression of it, which may be linked to the murder, is that it might be a symbol of something related- but, on the other hand it could be completely innocent !

It's fascinating to read other people's thoughts on Patsy's statements when asked abut it, though!

 

[DeeDee249]

The coroner did note that the drawing on her palm was done in red ink. In the crime photos, it does look like red ink- nothing more.
I agree not to make too much of this. You can find something sinister anywhere if you try. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
That being said, I don't know whether the heart looked more like a heart in person, but I never looked at it and thought "that was a pretty good little heart, you know?"

About Patsy's comment and later recantation- To state that you looked it and had the thought that it was a "pretty good little heart" proves to me that she DID, in fact, see it and not that she "may have only read about it".
Especially since neither R claimed to have read the autopsy report.
JR was the one who "found" her and her torso (presumably her hands) were wrapped in the white blanket. He carried her body upright like a mannequin, facing away from him, hands around her waist (hello, Touch DNA transfer). He claimed not to notice the garrote cord, even though it was hanging down with a wooden paintbrush for a handle.
Later when Patsy saw her, she was covered with an afghan and sweatshirt (thanks, Det Arndt) so couldn't have seen her palms then.

 

[DeDee]

I feel compelled to offer a caution about speculating too much about a photo you don't know the origin of. The last photo posted above is not an official autopsy photo, it's someone's color enhancement of that photo. If you compare the two photos side-by-side in this post, you can decide for yourself how accurate you feel it is.

There is also some additional discussion about the heart that some may care to read in this thread.

These two images and information regarding them were carefully studied for many days before posting them including, but certainly not limited to, posts at FFJ. otg, thank you for supplying the FFJ link for any who may not have already read it or seen the same images there.

From my post #44:
The highlighted image of the palm of her left hand

Perhaps the usage of my term highlighted should be amended to the term enhanced when describing the last image posted.

The highlighted/enhanced area is not easily seen on the autopsy photo yet the faint drawing is undeniable with the aid of an excellent computer screen and magnifying lens.

The tiny white dots are not limited to the cluster that are clearly and easily visible on the autopsy photo.

In fact, tiny white dots are noticeable in the autopsy photo along the same lines as the [stick figure] drawing to the right of the "heart" clearly visible in the highlighted/enhanced image.

The stick figure's arms and legs are the portion that appears to be a sideways K.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

For me this is not something big and complicated. To me that just looks like a kid who wrote on her hand. Whatever she was trying to make, She just wrote on her hand.

Some things to me in this case are just what they seem to be.

JMO

 

[DeeDee249]

I have a hard time seeing the tiny white dots or blisters, but blisters do form on the extremities of a dead body. She was only in very early stages of decomposition. Later stages would see these blisters become much larger, fill with blood and then burst. This only occurs if decomp progresses to that point, usually without refrigeration and/or embalming. JB was found before that could happen. Refrigeration and embalming then took place, halting the process.

 

[DeDee]

This link is especially graphic.

http://scribol.com/nature/news-what-exactly-happens-your-body-when-you-shuffle-mortal-coil/6

"First stage of decomp – 0 to 3 days

Putrefaction stage at 4 to 10 days

By the fifth day, large blisters are appearing on the decaying skin, ..."



http://www.buzzle.com/articles/small-blisters-on-hands.html

"The most common symptom of this dermatitis is very small blisters on tips and sides of fingers and toes and on the palms and soles. These blisters are opaque and do not break easily.

...emotional stress could also cause this skin disorder. The outbreak of this condition, can be a defense mechanism of the body against the stress. As a matter of fact, stress is said to aggravate the condition."

 

[Venom]

I've always wondered about the "blisters" on her hand ever since I first saw the picture. Here is the original picture and I circled what I mean:

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Don't know that what we're seeing is a heart, but whatever it is, my gut feeling is that the explanation is pretty simply...kids draw on themselves (and each other).

 

[Nom de plume]

I don't believe JB drew the heart, or whatever it is, on her hand. PR has admitted to doing this in the past, and the purpose of it.

The reason I don't think JB did it is because of the positioning of it. Hopefully I can clearly explain my thoughts as to why. Presuming it's a heart, the point is at the bottom of her palm. If you hold your left hand to draw or write on it, it's much more natural to hold the left hand sideways than straight up and down, with the fingers pointing upward. With the hand held in a natural position, the point of the heart would be pointing down towards the outside of the palm. In essence, the heart would be rotated 90 degrees counter clockwise from how it appears in the AR photo.

Therefore, I believe PR drew the heart (and I do think it was originally a heart) in JB's palm for the same reason she did at other times. PR admitted she had no idea when JB had last bathed, so it could have been there for days. From the position of the top "humps" of the heart, it's easy to imagine how that portion would have worn off or sweated off.

I have no idea why PR would lie about it though. It's just like the pineapple, why lie about that? Who knows?

 

[Linda7NJ]

Do you think it means anything?
Not in and of itself.... but that the Ramsey's weren't trying to track down where it came from and who did it?
Like I said, I would be all over everything like white on rice if I were the Ramseys... trying to find a clue. That they weren't doing that, to me, means that they knew there was no intruder to be found.
Also, do you find it odd that they would let Jonbenet go to bed with so much jewelry on??? The way my little girl sleeps, I would never let her wear jewelry at night. She is liable to put her own eye out. If were worth anything, I would be concerned that she would break it. If it weren't I would be concerned that it would leave those ugly marks on her skin as she sweat... you know, the green stuff. YUCK that is so gross! Besides, no matter what it was worth, six year olds love their jewelry and wouldn't want it to break! At my house it's the end of the world if a cheap necklace breaks.

Excellent point.




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